Rating of
3.5/5
Not Quite a Touchdown - Maybe a Field Goal Instead
Chris Kavan - wrote on 04/07/11
I consider No More Heroes 2 (and really, the original as well) as the Scott Pilgrim of the video game world: it's targeted at a specific audience, and if you don't happen to be in the target demographic, you'll probably shake your head, shrug your shoulders and wonder why something like this was even made.
Desperate Struggle picks up where the original left off - Travis Touchdown, an anti-hero for the ages, rose to the #1 assassin rank and walked away. But he left a lot of angry people in his rise (and killings) through the ranks, and now they're out for revenge. His best friend is murdered, and wouldn't you know it, the new #1-ranked assassin is behind the whole thing. Travis has to start all the way from #50 to get up to battle - but don't worry, they throw in some tricks to get through this relatively quickly.
The game controls haven't changed much from the first game - you run around, slash, throw in some wrestling moves, cut people in half - rinse, repeat. It's not the most exciting game play, even with the random ecstasy powers thrown in (transform into a tiger to take everyone, throw fireballs, move incredibly fast or just get triple bars and kill everyone on screen). You don't have too many weapons to choose from, either, so it does get repetitive. Enemies (aside from the bosses) aren't too exciting - typical goons, goons with knives, goons with guns, big goons, big goons with chainsaws, big goons with katanas, big goons with beam katanas. They all go down in gouts of bloody goodness and spew money you collect.
One big change is that the open sandbox world has been replaced by markers you arrive at automatically. The mini games are kept in, but they take the form classic 2D games - they help break up the levels and some are quite fun. One reminded me of Mach Rider. My favorite is probably the steak-cooking game, where if you over or under cook for portly customer, you get a fork in your eye and a "This Sucks!" You can even hear him blowing on the cartridge (remember that old NES trick) before you start the mini game. It’s the little touches that make a game stand out sometimes.
The randomness doesn't stop there - you can help your cat lose weight (and earn a powerful move) throughout the game. There is also a classic SHMUP based on the fictional Bizarre Jelly 5 anime that Travis loves (he is a quintessential Otaku after all) - if you beat it you unlock the fictional opening to the anime, which, to my horror, looks like something I would probably watch.
The best parts of the game are the varied boss battles. From a giant mech fight to dueling motorcycles, there is plenty of diversity. Some bosses are tougher than others (damn you New Destroyman twins!) but all are quite unique and interesting. To get around the whole “battle from #50” – the mech battle eliminates 25 people and your erstwhile brother eliminates two assassins himself and a random battle royale (mostly appearing off screen) also thins the competition considerably. Cheap? Yeah, but would you want to actually battle 50 single bosses?
Like New Destroyman, some characters from the original game reappear and the new characters are just as good. If you like beating up Irish rappers and Gothic Lolita types, here's your chance to shine. You also get to play as Shinobu at one point (the teenager from the original that Travis graciously let live and now considers him her "master"). With her battle cry of "Moe!" it's another full-fledged anime assault. And she can jump – something Travis has yet to master.
Aside from the repetition, the main drawback of this sequel is still the craptastic camera. If you don't center it ever freakin' time, you're most likely going to be facing off in some random direction (usually the complete opposite of what you want) and getting hit - this is especially annoying during the aforementioned boss battles. You can lock on to bosses, but once you're knocked down, you lose that lock, so you can’t rely on it too much. If it wasn't for such a horrendous fault, I probably would have raised the game a full star higher.
For a Wii game, it has a big of an edge. Let's just say the language is salty and for a Nintendo and the jiggle physics are greatly improved. Considering half the cut scenes take place in some seedy motel / peep show place, I would say this is best left out the hands of youth, and horny teenagers just wouldn't get the overall story, but would appreciate the scenery.
The game is far too short - it could easily be passed in a day should you so desire - but I enjoyed it once again for the randomness, the mix of old-school mini games and all-around fun it brought me. Sometimes you need a game like this to relax from more intense fare. If you balk at the price of buying new, at least consider buying used (or renting) if it sounds at all like something you would be interested in playing.
